Nepal’s Supreme Court has sought within 15 days the country’s original map exchanged with India during the signing of the Sugauli Treaty in 1816 after a petition sought the apex court’s intervention to secure the Nepali territory.

Justice Hari Prasad Phuyal demanded the map from the Nepal government in response to the public interest litigation filed by a senior advocate who, in the appeal, urged the government to start political and diplomatic efforts to protect Nepali territories.

India on Thursday said the new map issued by it in November 2019 accurately depicts its sovereign territory and it has in no way revised its boundary with Nepal.

Minister of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar made the statement while responding to a question on whether the Kalapani border issue was discussed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli during a phone callon Wednesday.

Kathmandu raised objections after India released its new political map in November last year following the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.

Nepal claimed that Limpiyadhura, Lipulek and Kalapani were shown in India’s territory even though they are located in Nepal.

Nepali territories, including Darjeeling, were handed to the British East India Company as concessions under the Sugauli treaty which was signed in 1816 on the conclusion of the Anglo-Nepalese War.

Under the treaty, the Nepali-controlled territory that was ceded included all areas that the king of Nepal had won in earlier wars such as the kingdom of Sikkim in the east and Kumaon and Garhwal in the west.

Although the Supreme court order was issued on Monday, the text of the order was released only on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court bench asked the government to furnish a written response along with a copy of the Sugauli Treaty-era map of Nepal within 15 days.

It also asked the authorities to furnish other official maps either exchanged with various countries or with the international organisations.

The government has also been directed to submit the original map exchanged while signing a Boundary Treaty with the Indian government in 1960, the map published by the East-India Company on February 1, 1827, and a separate map published by the British government in 1847.